Translation(s): English - EspaƱol - French - Italiano
tasksel
Tasksel package provides a simple interface for users who want to configure their system to perform a specific task. This program is used during the installation process, but users can also use tasksel at any time. |
Contents
Desktop environment
After installing a Debian core system, you can install the DesktopEnvironment using tasksel. The command tasksel (logged as root) shows you some (high level abstraction) options to install packages. You could simply mark the Desktop environment option. It will install the packages for Gnome and some packages that are considered "standard" for a Debian desktop (openoffice.org, cups, etc).
Sample use
tasksel (Start the User-interface screenshot)
or
tasksel --list-tasks (List the tasks available on a system.)
i desktop Desktop environment i web-server Web server i print-server Print server u dns-server DNS server u file-server File server i mail-server Mail server u database-server SQL database i ssh-server SSH server i laptop Laptop u manual manual package selection
tasksel --task-packages web-server (List the packages that would be installed by that task)
libapache2-mod-python apache2-doc libapache2-mod-php5 libapache2-mod-perl2 apache2-mpm-prefork analog
Note that in Debian 7 'Wheezy' and beyond, tasksel provides and uses dummy packages (known as meta packages) to pull required dependencies. For example:
## Let's retrieve the meta package name for that task $ tasksel --task-packages web-server task-web-server ## Let's see the packages that would be installed by that meta-package $ aptitude show task-web-server Package: task-web-server State: not installed Version: 3.05 Priority: optional Section: tasks Maintainer: Debian Install System Team <debian-boot@lists.debian.org> Uncompressed Size: 20.5 k Depends: tasksel, apache2-mpm-prefork Recommends: apache2-doc, libapache2-mod-php5, libapache2-mod-perl2, libapache2-mod-python, analog Description: Web server This task selects packages useful for a general purpose web server system.
"standard" task
The standard task is a special task used by Debian Installer. It actually relies on the packages's priority.
What does the "standard system" task include?
tasksel --task-packages standard
~pstandard ~prequired ~pimportant
which is an aptitude search string that equates to aptitude search ~pstandard ~prequired ~pimportant -F%p
"laptop" task
The laptop task is a special task use by Debian Installer, to pull the packages useful on a laptop:
tasksel --task-packages laptop
wireless-tools acpi-support cpufrequtils acpi wpasupplicant powertop acpid apmd pcmciautils pm-utils anacron avahi-autoipd bluetooth
caret in apt install
Tasks can be installed via apt-get by using a caret at the end of the package. For example, the following command can be used to install the laptop task: $ apt-get install laptop^
On Debian 12; carat isn't allowed in apt:
Tasks can be installed through apt; ( e,g: laptop task)
$ apt-get install task-laptop
See also: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Tasksel#Usage_.28alternative.29
Desktop
See:
Gnome page
KDE page
Source code: https://salsa.debian.org/installer-team/tasksel